Boys volleyball: Round 2
Newport Harbor High and Corona del Mar have supplied Back Bay fans
a choice, if they wish to attend a CIF Southern Section boys second-round
boys volleyball playoff match tonight.
The Sailors (25-6) host San Clemente (14-1) in a Division II clash,
while the Sea Kings (12-7) are at home against South Pasadena in the
Division IV action. Both matches begin at 7.
Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said after the Tars’ 48-minute
first-round sweep of California Friday, he expected a much tougher battle
against the Tritons.
After a five-game first-round triumph over No. 3-seeded Ocean View,
however, CdM may or may not be pushed to the same degree by the visiting
Rio Hondo League champions.
In any case, a trip to Friday’s quarterfinals is on the line, so both
Glenn and CdM Coach Steve Conti will expect their troops to be focused on
the task at hand.
Leading the troops for the Sailors will be seniors Greg Perrine, Brian
Gaeta, Loyd Wright and Erik Peterson.
The foursome helped the Sea View League champions finish the regular
season as Orange County’s top-ranked team.
Newport defeated San Clemente, 15-10, 10-15, 15-12, in a best-of-three
pool play tussle March 15 at the Orange County Championships.
CdM will count upon senior starters John Grod, Spencer Miller and Ryan
Inman, as well as freshman Kevin Welch. Junior Bart Welch, who sprained
an ankle in the victory over Ocean View, is questionable, after not
having practiced Monday. If Bart Welch can’t go, the Sea Kings will have
to overcome the loss of one of their most reliable passers.
CdM has only videotape of South Pasadena’s four-game, first-round
conquest of St. Francis on which to judge the Tigers, but Conti has seen
enough to know a challenge exists.
“It’s tough to tell how big they are from the video, but you can see
they have talented players,” Conti said. “They have one opposite, who
they like to set a lot, even when he’s in the back row.”
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